Latest news with #UtahBoardofHigherEducation
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a day ago
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Utah universities show plans to cut ‘inefficient' programs to boost engineering, AI and nursing
President's Circle on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City is pictured on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) The Utah Board of Higher Education approved the reallocation plans submitted by all public universities in the state, one of the first steps delineated by recently approved legislation requiring schools to cut 10% of their budgets for courses. Overall, the plans include layoffs and the elimination of programs with low enrollment and graduation rates in order to receive an eventual boost to budgets for programs related to engineering, artificial intelligence, nursing and behavioral health. That's in line with a legislative audit that advised lawmakers to look into cutting 'inefficient' programs and expanding those with waitlists to keep universities relevant. Also, with a mandate triggered by HB265, a 2025 bill that codified the guidelines for that effort. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In total, universities have to cut $60 million, which will sit in a 'strategic reinvestment account' until they implement the reallocation plans in three years. While the new law requires institutions to reallocate 30% of the full $60 million, on Friday they presented plans to the board that would surpass that and cut about 50% of the $60 million. 'We're glad to be able to just finally have the opportunity for you, as a board, to see the culmination of what has been exceptionally difficult work on the part of the institutions, and the leadership of the institutions,' Geoffrey Landward, commissioner of higher education, told the board on Friday. 'Faculty and staff and students are all impacted by this work.' However, he described the process as 'exceptionally important,' arguing that it would give higher education institutions the tools to the challenges they will face in the future. With tight deadline, Utah universities scramble to cut 10% of budget for courses Overall, 43.6% of the cuts will come from the instructional budgets, 20% from academic support areas, 2.4% from student services, 31.6% from institutional support, 1.7% from research and 0.6% from public service, data from the Utah System of Higher Education shows. Over 60% will go to other instructional efforts after the three-year process, 20% to an instruction/research category, 8% to academic support, 5.3% to student services, 3.7% to institutional support and 2.4% to research The Friday presentations also offered a glimpse into plans previously kept under wraps — including those from Utah's flagship university. As the largest university in the state, the University of Utah had to cut the most from its budget — $19.5 million. The institution is planning to cut $7.5 million in 2026, $6.2 million more by 2027 and an additional $5.8 million by 2028 to reallocate to engineering, AI, clinical training for nursing students, biotechnology, civic engagement — with an emphasis on American federalism — and behavioral health, University of Utah President Taylor Randall told the board. The U. received a conditional approval, since its leaders asked for additional time to decide how some elements during the second and third year will play out in the school's research space while Congress reviews its spending package. 'We, on a daily basis, are staring at tens of millions of dollars of grants that are moving back and forth,' Randall said. 'Those actually affect staffing decisions and faculty decisions, and so we are just grateful that you've allowed us some time to let some of those things settle down.' Currently the plans are to make cuts in the school's administration and staff, and 484 courses, including 81 in the College of Humanities, 62 in the College of Fine Arts, 62 in the College of Social and Behavioral Science, and 61 in the College of Health. Some of them come from not revising the list too often, Randall said. 'Over time, you don't clean things up, and that's clearly what we did. This tells you, by college, the courses that had been fallow for a little bit too long or had very, very low enrollment.' Some others overlapped too much with other courses that were already filling market needs. Meanwhile, other schools showed different areas in which they intend to innovate in the process. Utah State University, for example, is allocating a good chunk of the funds retained from staff and course cuts for what their leaders call 'technologies and careers for the future.' That includes a new school of computing, a new chemical engineering program, an AI Center for Excellence, and an expansion of its aviation program, along with new schools for design, construction and manufacturing, and technical education. Southern Utah University is planning on a big push to place students in internships, while eliminating programs on languages, arts, ethnic studies, women and gender studies, and construction technology, among others. Salt Lake Community College is eliminating or streamlining programs due to low enrollment and completion rates in the Provost's Office, in the School of Arts, Communication and Digital Media, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and in its business school, among others. But the college is also pursuing expanding its hospitality and film programs, which are in high demand. Snow College is proposing to expand its prison education programs, as well as other courses on automation technology, respiratory therapy, and strategic communications and public relations. But, at the same time, it is eliminating programs on languages and media studies, alongside The Snowdrift, its campus newspaper, and the school's radio and television stations. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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a day ago
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‘Hard things lead to adaptation': Utah's colleges on what they'll cut, add following state pressure
Friday's Utah Board of Higher Education meeting offered telling glimpses into the academic future of the state's public colleges and universities. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed House Bill 265 — the so-called 'strategic reinvestment' initiative requiring Utah's eight public colleges and universities to reallocate millions of dollars to programs determined to be of highest value to both students and Utah's economy. On Friday, representatives from the state's eight degree-granting public schools presented their strategic reinvestment plans to the board. There's much on the line. If the schools' respective plans are approved by the Board of Higher Education and, in the coming months, by the Legislature, they can reclaim the 10% of their annual budget that was cut during the recent legislative session. Each of Utah's schools are, of course, unique in size, funding and mission. Their respective reinvestment plans reflect those differences. But there were shared similarities Friday. First, the institutional changes demanded by HB265 certainly exact some pain. Jobs, academic programs and colleges are being cut to reinvest in other areas. But higher education leaders also said the legislation presents opportunities to decide how to best serve the state's students — professionally and personally — in an ever-evolving world. A statement Friday from University of Utah President Taylor Randall speaks to a 'moment of reinvention' in higher education: 'My support for these moves is not only about legislative compliance and fiscal responsibility — it is also a reflection of my commitment to the vision of where the University of Utah needs to go to be an impact university," Randall said. The state-imposed reallocation/reinvestment plans will occur over a three-year period. At least 30% of the reallocated dollars must be deployed by each school in fiscal year 2026. At least 70% in 2027. And 100% in 2028. Here are highlights of each school's Strategic Reinvestment Plan presentations: Celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, the University of Utah has a student body of almost 37,000. The state's flagship institution of higher learning has the largest HB265 reallocation burden: More than $19.5 million. The University of Utah's strategic reinvestment plan remains a work in progress. The school is still finalizing its reallocation targets for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 — 'Phase 2' and 'Phase 3.' The board on Friday approved the school's reinvestment plan, conditional on the institution returning by September with sufficient details. Randall said the time extension is needed because of the volatility facing 'Research 1' universities due to changes implemented by the Trump administration. On a daily basis, 'there are tens of millions of dollars of grants moving back and forth,' he said. 'Those actually affect staffing decisions and faculty decisions. So we are grateful that you've allowed us some time to let some of those things settle down.' The University of Utah's 'Phase 1' reinvestment plan includes reallocation investments in engineering; advancing responsible AI and biotechnology; boosting programs that address the critical nursing shortage; and strengthening General Education by focusing on civic responsibility and building durable skills such as critical thinking and conflict resolution. The University's 'Phase 1' disinvestments will come largely by implementing improved efficiencies in administration and administrative support areas. Meanwhile, scores of courses and programs at the University of Utah are being sunset across a variety of colleges — including graduate programs in educational psychology, bioengineering, modern dance, Middle East Studies, sociology/criminology and neurobiology. Looking forward, Randall said the school's finalized reinvestment plan will look at maximizing shared services opportunities while also examining program and college redesigns and early retirement opportunities for employees. The state's sole land-grant university with a statewide enrollment of almost 29,000, USU is required by HB265 to reallocate approximately $12.6 million. School leaders are concentrating their changes on three broad categories: Technologies and Careers for the Future (i.e., addressing critical needs in engineering, artificial intelligence, computing, and analytics); Health and Wellbeing Workforce; and improving Student Access, Success & Outcomes. Proposed reallocations include new faculty positions in AI and data science, a new school of computing, a new chemical engineering program and the expansion of the school's aviation program. In health care, USU proposes to expand mental health and well-being programs and its nursing program — while creating a new College of Health and Human Sciences and a new Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Investments are also planned in Student Success Support programming and USU's Online Enterprise. USU's proposed plan does include significant personnel costs. Approximately 120 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions are slated for elimination — including positions in school administration, staff and faculty. (Note: FTEs do not represent, number-to-number, full-time employees.) Several USU programs, degrees and certificates are expected to be discontinued — including bachelor's degrees in American Studies, agriculture communication, deaf education; master's degrees in financial economics, fitness promotion; and an associate's degree in theatre offered at the school's Price, Utah, campus. USU's Interim President Alan Smith aptly noted the mix of challenges and opportunities offered by HB265. 'Hard things,' he said, 'lead to adaptation.' The state's largest community college with an enrollment of almost 25,000 students, SLCC is required by HB265 to reallocate approximately $5.2 million. SLCC is focusing on three 'major outcomes' in support of the bill's goals to align funding to evolving student and workforce needs: 1 - Reinvesting in workforce and high-demand transfer programs — including over $2 million reinvested in technical programs, almost $1 million in the Gail Miller Business School and $586,000 in the School of Health Sciences. 2 - Reducing administrative overhead costs to reinvest in instruction programs by, in part, eliminating five administrator positions and through consolidation. 3 – And centering student outcomes in the decision-making process — prompting almost $600,000 in additional reductions that went beyond HB265's budget reduction requirements. SLCC's proposal would result in decreasing the number of instructional offerings from 195 to 147 total certificate and degree programs, while also consolidating the School of Arts, Communication & Media. The changes are expected to impact 50 full-time and part-time employees. Fifteen are vacant positions — 35 are slated for layoffs. Many employees impacted by layoffs will have opportunities to transfer to another position at the school — or pursue a retirement option, according to the school. Five new SLCC faculty positions will be added, through reinvestment. Almost 5,000 students are pursuing higher education opportunities at Snow College. The Ephraim-based community college is required by HB265 to reallocate $1.7 million over the next three years. Plan highlights include expanding the school's prison education program, the elementary education program, the respiratory therapy program — and the creation of several new programs, including Pre-Architecture & Drafting, Strategic Communication and Public Relations, Commercial Driver's License and Rural Entrepreneurship. Additionally, there are plans for 12 'reinvested' positions in the works. Meanwhile, several academic programs are slated for disinvestment — including French, Italian and Media Studies. There will be 11 jobs eliminated — including positions in information technology and student affairs. However, there were no involuntary separations or forced layoffs. One vice president position was eliminated at Snow. Located in St. George, Utah Tech University has enjoyed steady enrollment growth in recent years. Today's UT student body is over 11,000. HB265 requires UT to reallocate $2.5 million over the course of its implementation. UT's plan aims to meet workforce demands, while increasing enrollment — including adding 19 faculty and instructional staff positions in high-demand areas such as business, engineering, psychology, health sciences and digital media programs. The school also plans to add an Associate Dean for Arts. Reductions are being made, in part, by eliminating several staff, faculty and administrative positions — including the school's Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, one Spanish Education and one Theater Directing faculty member; and one school dean and five administrative support positions. The direction of HB265, said newly installed president Shane Smeed, helps UT 'strengthen and accelerate UT's pursuit of polytechnic mission and value.' Home to almost 14,000 students, SUU is required to reallocate $3.1 million. The school's plan focuses primarily on Utah's workforce needs and identifying emerging student opportunities. Multiple faculty positions, for example, are being added to the school's business, STEM, health care, and innovative tech programs. Several new positions are also being created to enhance student support as they prepare for careers. Meanwhile, 25 positions are being eliminated in several fields — including chemistry, biology, history and math. Twenty-four academic programs are being eliminated. Majors slated for elimination include Philosophy, French, French Education and Art History. The Arts Administration (face-to-face) and Athletic Training master's programs are also being cut. Several associate degree programs — including many which were already slated for eventual elimination — are also being dropped. Also, SUU's College of Engineering & Computational Sciences will be combined with the College of Natural Sciences. 'This has been a good thing to get us looking to the future,' said SUU President Mindy Benson. Weber State University, which has experienced record growth in recent years, enrolls approximately 27,000 students. The Ogden institution is required by HB265 to reallocate approximately $6.7 million. Forty-nine positions are being cut: 11 administrative positions, 10 staff positions and 28 salaried faculty — with most of the faculty cuts coming from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities. Several administrative slots are also being reduced — including the school's Assistant Vice President for Regional Partnerships and the executive director for Academic Support Centers & Programs. Meanwhile, dozens of majors, certificates and minors are being eliminated — including majors in Applied Physics, Dance Education, Geography, German and Computer Science Teaching. Reallocation highlights at WSU include more than $800,000 going towards academic advising support; $685,000 for high need health profession areas; more than $2.6 million to support, in part, the development of sub-120 hour degree programs; initiatives to enhance students' academic experiences; and development of new credentials aligning with Talent Ready Utah Occupational Priority List. WSU also plans to establish a new associate dean position within the Dumke College of Health Professions, specifically focused on nursing. The state's largest university with an enrollment of almost 47,000 students, UVU is required by the state to reallocate approximately $8.9 million. During their presentation Friday, UVU leaders say they have been implementing efficiency-focused decisions long before HB265 — reducing, in recent years, a number of academic schools/colleges and discontinuing the English Language Learning Program. And last October, the school implemented a campus-wide hiring freeze to manage budgets. Still, this year's Legislative actions are taking a toll at the Orem institution. Forty-five employee positions are being eliminated. Thirteen of those jobs were already vacant. Meanwhile, several specific academic programs are slated for cuts — including a specialized associate's degree in business; certificates in woodworking/cabinetry and administrative information support; and a nursing education Master's degree. Expenditures are also being reduced in UVU's Academic Affairs departments — including the Innovation Academy and Program Assessment budgets. Other highlighted areas of UVU's reinvestment plan include: Expanding resources for emerging occupations such as AI. Increasing engineering-related initiatives in mechanical engineering, computer science and IT. Expanding health and wellness opportunities in occupational therapy and behavioral health. And further investing in General Education to develop critical thinking, communication and durable skills.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
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Committee formed to search for new Utah State University president
The Utah Board of Higher Education announced Thursday a new committee of board members, trustees, faculty and students has been formed to select the next president of Utah State University. The new committee will be responsible for identifying potential candidates who will 'advance the university's unique mission as Utah's land- and space-grant institution, with a strong emphasis on student-centered education, research and community engagement,' according to a statement from the Utah System of Higher Education. They will also review applications and conduct interviews for the position before recommending their top three candidates to the Utah Board of Higher Education, which will select the new university president. The nine-person committee is co-chaired by Steve Neeleman, Board of Higher Education vice chairman, and David Huntsman, USU trustee. Board of Higher Education member Cydni Tetro and USU trustee Clark Whitworth also represent their boards as members of the search committee. Several members of the university's faculty were also named committee members, including Interim Dean and Faculty Senate President Grant Cardon, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications Bill Plate and Staff Association Vice President Elisa Taylor. 'This search committee brings together a broad cross-section of voices from the Utah State community,' said Neeleman in a statement. 'We're committed to finding a leader whose vision and values align with the spirit of Utah State and can champion its mission of learning, discovery and service for the success of all students who attend.' Matthew Richey, the 2024-25 USU student body president, joined the committee as a student representative, and Laurel Cannon Alder, former USU trustee and alumni association president, was selected as a voice for community members and university alumni. New higher education hiring amendments passed in the 2025 legislative session require that the search committee work in closed, confidential meetings to protect candidate privacy and potentially entice a more competitive pool of candidates in the hiring process. After the committee submits its top candidates, the Board of Higher Education will be required to make the final candidate selection in an open and public meeting. 'I am honored to serve the Aggie community in this capacity,' Huntsman said. 'This is a critical time for Utah State, and we are committed to finding the best person to lead USU and position the university to meet both the challenges and opportunities of the future.' The Presidential Search Committee plans to work with national executive search firm AGB Search to approve a position announcement seeking nominees and applicants in the coming weeks. Former USU President Elizabeth Cantwell resigned and announced her new position as president of Washington State University in February. Alan L. Smith was named as the university's interim president shortly after and plans to return to his position as dean of the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services when the new president is selected. Updates on the search and community engagement opportunities will be uploaded to the Presidential Search Committee webpage as they become available. Students and community members can share suggestions or feedback about the search by emailing the committee or submitting an anonymous comment on the Utah System of Higher Education website.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
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‘In government we never want to be frantic,' Democratic lawmakers say about university cuts
Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City is pictured on Monday, January 15, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) As the Utah Board of Higher Education begins to review public universities' first drafts on their plans to cut 10% of their budgets for courses, Democratic lawmakers worry about the unintended consequences the state-imposed tight deadline to achieve such a feat may carry. After HB265 passed this year, schools started scrambling to make the most efficient plan to reallocate their resources, with many exploring program consolidations, cutting courses and layoffs. The process seems abrupt, Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, told the Executive Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, especially since many faculty members have inundated her inbox, worried about the potential elimination of curriculums and jobs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'There's a lot of frantic behavior and in government we never want to be frantic,' Riebe said. 'We want to be methodical. We want to be research driven and data driven. And I understand where this bill is going, but it's been a very hard, abrupt turn, and there's a lot of pain points in our universities.' That, she added, may scar the reputation of Utah universities, frightening off staff and prospective professors wanting to apply for jobs in the state. HB265 passed comfortably in Utah's Republican supermajority Legislature while being opposed by most of the Democratic Caucus. The bill's goal, its supporters said, is to cut 'underperforming programs' and direct those funds to highly-sought degrees. With tight deadline, Utah universities scramble to cut 10% of budget for courses That's a premise that House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, defended during the Tuesday discussion, arguing that some of the cuts were overdue, and may even keep tuition costs low. 'Liberal arts, for some reason, keeps being the topic of discussion,' Schultz said. 'Yes, maybe every one of those programs might not be available at four or five universities across the state. You may not be able to take a program at the University of Utah, you might have to go to Weber State to take the program, or vice versa, but I think that's a wise use of the way that our dollars are spent.' The cost of attending college 'is a huge concern,' putting higher education increasingly out of reach for many, Minority Whip Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, said. As many Republican lawmakers emphasized the intent of making college more efficient, affordable and accessible, she asked whether tuition will decrease as a result of HB265. No more ethnic, women and gender studies at WSU as state-mandated budget cuts start Those numbers were not available during the committee discussion. But Schultz, who recently spoke with Weber State University leaders about their reallocation plans, highlighted that the school's overall tuition increase this year was 2% for bachelor's degrees and it kept the same costs for its associate degree programs. 'They were very proud that they found ways to take the savings and find savings and not increase for their associate's degrees,' Schultz said. 'So if the universities are not doing that, then I think that they are being a little bit derelict in their duties.' While he understands faculty and staff members' concerns, Schultz said he hopes that schools find the right balance in their process, and that the Legislature continues these types of initiatives more often. 'We do it on a regular basis with our state agencies,' he said. 'And with as much money as the state spends on higher education, and with the cost of higher education growing more and more out of control, I really think that this ought to become a little bit more of the norm.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-04-2025
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With tight deadline, Utah universities scramble to cut 10% of budget for courses
University of Utah President Taylor Randall delivers a speech at the school's commencement ceremony on May 2, 2024. (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch) With Utah public universities preparing to make cuts on what may be considered low-performing programs to comply with a new state law, different institutions are quickly making plans to merge colleges, and to lay off some of their staff. This year the Utah Legislature approved HB265, giving instructions to the Utah Board of Higher Education to cut 10% of budgets for courses and switch that funding from 'underperforming programs' to degrees that may have waitlists. That left universities scrambling to meet the state-imposed deadlines starting with a first draft of the plans due on May 9 to the Utah Board of Higher Education. While that's the initial deadline, the schools have three years to implement their plans in order to receive the ongoing total of $60 million retained by the state in a 'strategic reinvestment account' meant to be spent on high-demand programs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Salt Lake Community College, which has to cut $5.2 million to invest in other areas, is gathering leaders at the institution to evaluate their instructional budget considering factors such as completion time, outcomes and workforce demand, said Jason Pickavance, interim provost for the office of Academic Affairs at the college. Budget bills targeting 'underperforming' university programs press forward Reallocations within schools weren't invented with the bill, Pickavance said. They are a routine exercise the college goes through to update its curriculum and keep up with what's needed in the workforce. Already having a system in place is what may make this process even more challenging, he added, since programs have already been streamlined. 'One of the things I've done to make the exercise more achievable is I've extended it to non-instructional areas of Academic Affairs,' Pickavance said. Those areas include a curriculum office, testing services, a library and an e-learning office. 'One of the charges to the deans and the associate provosts is to consider not just looking at instruction, but thinking about how they might consolidate staff or administration in their area.' That means that as part of the reallocation process, there could be layoffs to decrease the number of academic administrators — which include associate deans, directors, deans and associate provosts. Other staff lines would also be consolidated. As for programs, that's still under consideration since their effectiveness evaluation is more nuanced than simple enrollment and graduation metrics. SLCC's dental hygiene program, for example, is a small program that admits about 25 students per cohort, he said. But that's partly because there's a fixed number of stations where instructors can teach. So, that program, despite its demand and success won't be getting larger anytime soon. 'They graduate every one of those students, and every one of those students goes and gets a job,' Pickavance said. 'So that program, to me, is a very small, but high performing program.' But programs like, say, psychology, which has hundreds of students a year, don't have those kinds of equipment constraints and are designed to transfer students to other institutions, and not necessarily to get them directly in the workforce. 'The technical challenges we came up with as we were thinking about 'how do we want to evaluate programs?' is that programs are very varied in their purpose and in their scope,' he said. 'And you really want to think about is a program accomplishing what it's intending to accomplish, not holding a program to some rigid one-size-fits-all metric.' So far, it has been an anxiety-inducing process, Pickavance said. While the college is working hard to be responsive and agile while managing taxpayer dollars, they are also trying to approach this from a humane perspective. 'We're talking about staff or faculty, and I expect there will be some people that we have to let go,' he said. 'I hope it's minimal, and I hope that we're really thinking carefully about, if we do have to discontinue, is there another spot in the college that we can find a space for them?' Utah State University, which must cut $12.5 million as part of the state's reallocation project, is making two college mergers. The first will combine the Caine College of the Arts, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the College of Science, resulting in a new college 'that aligns with common arts and sciences models nationally,' Alan Smith, interim president of USU said in an update. Joe Ward, the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is set to lead it. The second will be a merger of the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources and the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences into a new school 'that aligns with those found at several thriving land-grant institutions,' Smith wrote. A dean of this new college is still to be determined. 'The restructuring of these colleges will be accompanied by department consolidations, moves, and reconfigurations that strengthen alignment and cohesion,' Smith said. 'These changes will likely impact downstream programs, initiatives, and centers or institutes.' At the end of March, Smith wrote in another message that 'there will be no way to avoid job cuts,' since personnel are the primary cost of the institution, offering faculty and staff to apply for a 'voluntary separation incentive plan,' with cash incentives depending on age and years of service. Under the new bill the university may also adopt policies that supersede other institutional policies to reach the goals, Smith wrote. So, 'existing policies tied to curricular changes, tenured roles, and other areas will not be applied when implementing our HB 265 plan.' The University of Utah saw this coming, Mitzi Montoya, senior vice president for Academic Affairs, said in a newsletter. In early 2024, the Utah System of Higher Education received an ongoing 1.5% cut in its budgets beginning this summer and heard that more could come in 2025, so the university had already anticipated a 10% reduction. To save the $19.7 million the U. has to reallocate, each academic unit will meet to develop plans before the initial draft deadline coming up in May, Montoya said in an Academic Senate meeting on April 7. 'We're focusing particular support on working with the deans that have programs that might be flagged as lower enrollment,' Montoya said in the meeting. 'The task is to work on developing explanations of the data, potentially growing enrollment, or making whatever changes may need to happen from a curricular standpoint.' Audit: Could cutting low-performing college programs help Utah's academic outlook? Programs that have fewer than 40 students enrolled are to be considered 'low enrollment,' a benchmark also used by the Utah System of Higher Education. Some of the low enrollment but high impact programs that may be affected by the reallocations are mining engineering, metallurgical engineering and geological engineering. 'We are also using our data to build a picture of the contributions of our smaller programs,' Montoya wrote in the newsletter. 'We can't know what the outcome of this process will be, but we do know that we will continue to be committed to the full swath of disciplines that make an R1 institution such as ours strong and contribute to research advancement.' One of the goals at the state's flagship university is also to invest to support student growth, Montoya said in the meeting. She noted that some areas where lawmakers would like to see growth are accounting, data science and nursing, all highlighted in the audit that inspired HB265. With looming federal cuts, the university is also bracing for changes in its research department, guiding researchers to move with urgency, and 'aligning discovery with national priorities,' according to a message from Erin Rothwell, the U.'s vice president for Research. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
